forum The Purple Cauldron Tavern

Started May 02, 2019 by @GameMaster group

tune

“They were undead horses, so they’re more comfortable being underground…” he reached into his pocket. “As for the chariot…” he showed the barkeeper a navy and golden badge.

The barkeeper stared at the badge for a second. “That mean nothing to me. Is that suppose to intimidate me? You are talking to an ancient powerful being.”

Hinata glanced over. Soul Labyrinth, she thought, nodding to herself.

In her fit the barkeep knock a glass off the counter and it shattered on the floor. “Got it, Bucko?”

"I'm sure that's not what he meant. Right, sir?" Hinata said.

The girl stuck out her tounge and snapped, the glass lifting up and turning back into a cup. "There." She muttered.

The horse rider seemed unfazed by the barkeep’s wording.
“Not that… I was just saying that my chariot is folded up in this…” he corrected and kept the badge.

Baasarn's rumble seemed to grow slightly louder hearing 'undead'. Great, that was all he needed to deal with. Probably a lich, or necromancer, either way, both were nuisances in their own rights. He didn't much care to work for the such, as often their jobs were just not to his taste. There were perhaps only, one or two undead families he would work for, as they usually had reasonable requests.
His yellow eyes shifted to Tonakee. Despite the girl's mask of hidden emotions, he seemed to know. The draconic humanoid gave her a soft smile, even if she couldn't see it. Though his gaze shifted back to the stranger, pupils once again narrowing into thin slits.

The tension slowly lowered to just under bearable instead of thick enough to cut with a knife. Cassio relaxed his right hand, but kept his left closed. Ready to move instantly should the need arise. He kept a subtle watch on the elaborate man, still sensing danger from him, but went back to his drink. To any bothering to look he seemed perfectly relaxed and didn't look like he was paying attention at all.

The barkeeper huffed. "I had a bad day. Don't make me angry. Everyone calm down and give this…gentleman a moment to tell his story."

Tonakee kept her head down, she heard a small movement from Baasarn. He'd looked at her, and judging from the brief lightness in the air. Had smiled at her. She tilted her head a little and gave him a tiny smile as well. Her heart had begun pounding in her chest. Something was wrong somewhere else. Maybe back at home…

Baasarn gave a slight shrug, "Hey, haven't said a word. I don't really interfere with other things, less of course there is possible work involved, but usually those who are looking for my services privately send messages or such to me."
He noticed the small smile he received back from the girl. The draconic humanoid's rumble turning into a pleased prrum. Least it was something he had done to help the female feel a bit more at ease. Though he sensed a small change from Tonakee. His forked tongue flicked out again, testing the air.
There was indeed something else there. Baasarn tilted his horned head slightly, "Something wrong miss Tonakee?"

The horse rider looked around the building.
“Is everyone feeling uncomfortable because of my presence being made? If so, I shall leave…” he said after a long sigh.

She subtly put her finger to her lips, a light smile on them. "That person that just came in," she discreetly tipped her head at the man. "He's looking for something, or someone. And not long after he came in, and this is going to sound kind of weird, but I got a feeling. It was from my brother. I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but either way, he's got a bad aura around him. And I don't like it," her voice was only loud enough for Baasarn and possibly Hinata to hear. She turned to face the man raising her voice a little. "No please stay, we would be honored by your presence here. I'm quite curious to hear your story," she called to him.

Baasarn looked to the strange man as he said something about leaving, "No one said ya had to leave bud. You get used to the stares and such and live with it."
The draconic humanoid gave a slight shrug, "But that's just the way I see and think. I don't give a damn about what others think…trust me."
He seemingly grimaced for a moment, though his yellow eyes returned to Tonakee as she spoke in hushed toes. As she spoke, he seemed to nod in understanding. Things usually happened for a reason, he knew this. Sometimes certain actions or just something or someone's presence was enough to state either good or threatening vibes. Baasarn was well aware of it all for the most part. Sure, there were a few things that could catch him off guard, but that was on rare occasions.
"I see," he lowered his own voice for the girl's ears alone, "Well…you have nothing to fear. I feel these are neutral grounds, and fighting or anything like it is strictly prohibited, unless of course it is taken outside. Then again, I could be completely wrong."
Baasarn leaned back in his chair a bit, though his tail remained underneath, curling lightly around the leg of Tonakee's chair.

"I'm not worried about fighting here. I'm worried about him leaving. It sounds weird I know, but we need to keep him here," Tonakee whispered. She felt Baasarn's grip tighten kn her chair. Just his being there alone made her feel much safer. And she knew that the barkeeper was powerful, she felt that the moment she'd entered a three foot radius of the building. She wasn't to worried here. But if that was her brother warning her then this man was dangerous.

The caduceuses in the horse rider’s eyes turned from gold to a glowing crimson red within matters of seconds before turning back to a golden hue then disappeared completely. He closed his eyes while holding on to the glass of cocktail. He muttered something under his breath. No one in the tavern could hear it. When he finished, he opened his eyes. The golden caduceuses turned into silver skulls with the same radiant of glow. He was calm for the most part but had a slightly scary vibe to his quiet personality.
The figure laughed a little when he saw Hinata’s reaction. He turned to her.
“My apologies if I misunderstood, but we have met before right, dear madam…?” He asked Hinata directly with one of his fangs showing.

"Yes." Hinata held her empty cup in her hands, slowly counting down from ten. She had heard what Tonakee has said.

Worried about that guy leaving? Sure, Baasarn picked up 'bad vibes' from the stranger, but not enough to entirely put him on full alert. At the moment, the male was only on slight alert. He was aware of his surroundings, having eyes on exits, letting possible scenarios run through his mind.
"Well…if it will make you feel more at ease to try and keep him around, I won't argue," Baasarn replied softly to her.
The draconic humanoid remained leaned back in his chair. Unlike most of the rest of the patrons, he kept a very calm posture. There was no fear from Baasarn, why should he be fearful? There was no reason at the moment. He was, however, keenly observing and keeping tabs on everything around him. If anything, especially around certain beings, showing fear was the worst thing possible. They would pick up on that fear, and most likely use it to their advantage.
He lightly drummed his claws on the table before him. The pupils in his eyes remained narrowed in the vast yellow, spines partially raised along his tail. Yet the rest of Baasarn's features were calm and relaxed for the most part.

"Aw, another one from your little soul labyrinth exploration." The barkeeper leaned on her arms. "You guys really messed some stuff up there. The demons would not shut up about it. They kept betting on which of you would die."

The soul labyrinth. The name had popped up in different conversations multiple times. Cassio's curiosity was piqued, he wanted to know what it was. At the same time, if it was anything like the last labyrinth he had unwillingly spent time in, then he didn't want anything to do with it. That had been a disaster that he barely survived and almost drove him insane and had no desire to replicate. Ever. But this one seemed interesting, multiple people here knew each other from it. Though the way they acted suggested they weren't all on very friendly terms and the experience in the labyrinth had either caused it or exasperated it. Mentally he told himself it wasn't any of his business unless he ended up there someday, and the chances of that happening were slim.

“If it makes you feel better Hinata, I had a solid thousand dollars that you would survive.” The barkeeper said as if this was much help.

"You should have bet higher, seeing as I can't die."

Calix had fallen asleep at the bar and had not heard any of the stuff anyone was talking about.

A cloaked figure barged into the door and their voice was ragged. “Vodka” he said and slumped into the chair.